Face Down
by MyMischeifCantBeManaged
Summary: Pony is no longer Pony, Steve is no longer Steve. Everything has gone down hill for the gang. How could it get any worse? Well they're about to find out... R&R Please


Hey Guys! Alright, I know, I haven't wrote for this site for a few months, if I am correct, since March. But my laptop crashed, and I couldn't find my mom's! So here we go, another Outsiders fanfiction…. I really hope this is good, since I haven't been able to write for a while so my skills might be a little rusty.

Disclaimer: You know the drill by now right? I don't own any of this wonderful book.

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_*Bang*Bang*Bang*_

The sound of gunfire rang through my mind. The sight of Dally's body falling to the ground flashed behind my eyelids every time I blinked. I didn't know what to do with myself, those few days after that terrible night, when I was still me. When I was still a small, frail boy, who was soft and still believed that there was good left in the world. The weird thing was, I had stopped having nightmares at night. About a week after the incident, I realized why. When I slept, there was nothing to be afraid of. The real nightmare was real life. The realization was stunning. I was no longer afraid of the nightmares that could attack me at night, and more afraid of waking up the next morning, and facing the nightmare that was my life.

The day I realized this, was Johnny and Dally's funerals. I almost couldn't force myself to go, but I did. And after the service, after the caskets had been lowered into the ground, and buried, I couldn't bring myself to leave right away. Darry stayed seated by me, until he decided we needed to leave. But I wouldn't budge. I couldn't move. Darry had looked at me with calculating eyes, and then retreated to the truck, telling me he'd be there when I was ready to leave.

I soon got out of my seat, and sat in front of Dal's grave, surprising myself, wouldn't you think that I would sit in front of my best friend of 8 years grave? But my feet instead carried me to that spot in front of Dal's grave. Sitting in the grass, staring at the words that had been placed on the stone, I had another realization. I realized why I was sitting in front of his grave, instead of Johnny's.

I was sitting there because I knew Dally had been right, the night he told me that if you get tough, you don't get hurt. And if you look out for yourself, nothing can touch you. I knew he had wanted me to figure this out. I also knew that he had intentionally been killed, because he had let someone in. He had let Johnny in, and in the end it killed him. The mistake of loving someone that much had killed him. To love is to destroy.

I promised myself, in that moment, that I would be the next Dallas Winston, but I wasn't going to make the same mistake that he did. I promised myself I would never love someone so much that it killed me. I lied…

*4 Years Later*

I walked out of Buck's place that morning, following the familiar path that led to my old home, the one I still frequently visited, but only because I belonged to the gang still. And to make sure that Steve was okay. Because ever since that night, he had fallen into the gap that was left by Johnny, becoming afraid of his own shadow, and keeping a blade in his back pocket at all times. In four years, so much had changed, yet everything had stayed the same. Steve and I were completely different people, and the only ones who really changed much, though everyone acted like they hadn't noticed, though they obviously had. I had grown taller than everyone, except for Darry. I had a larger build than everyone, except, again Darry, he's just so big, though I could probably have given him a good fight. I drank alcohol, smoked more, and got into loads of fights. I stole things, I snuck into places so I wouldn't have to pay. I I ran my mouth at girls, talking a fair amount of them into coming home with me. I beat up socs, for the fun of it. I had been thrown into jail so many times I had lost count. Which reminds me, my eyes had become the same pale, icy blue color that Dally's had been. I also don't bother with hair grease anymore, took up to much of my time.

A few weeks after the rumble had taken place, Steve had been jumped by 4 or 5 guys and was left for dead. We found him in the same condition that Johnny had been in. He has a scar that is in about the same place to. Now he slinks around in the shadows, avoiding social contact, carrying a blade in his back pocket. He doesn't talk much now either. He's pretty much a new Johnny, though he isn't as small as Johnny had been. He runs around with Soda still though.

After checking on the Steve, I ran around, killing some time. The sky grew darker, so I ran back to Bucks place, grabbing the item that I needed for this plan. I left the building for the second time that day, thinking about Steve, and hoping that he will be okay after this day.

Boy am I going to miss that kid…

Why? You might ask? Because the sight of Dally dropping to the ground still flashes behind my eyelids. Because the sound of gunfire still rings through my ears, all these years later. And because I broke my promise. I am going crazy, trying to make sure that Steve doesn't get hurt, make sure he doesn't turn out like me, even though he is older than me. I can't take it anymore. Loving him like this has destroyed me, and I can't take it. I know Soda, Two-bit, and Darry will still watch out for him, more than ever now. As long as Soda doesn't get drafted, as he is still at the prime age to get drafted.

The gang is going to hate me for this.

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Darry's POV

Most of the gang was stationed in our living room, minus Pony, but at this time at night it isn't unusual for him not to be here. I wish he was though, because I have this foreboding feeling that something terrible is going to happen. That may be just because terrible things happened on this night 4 years ago. I check on the three boys in the living room, and let my stressed feelings fly away. I walked back into the kitchen, just as the phone rang.

I stared at it for a second, praying to god, that it was work calling, telling me I had the next day off, but deep down, I knew who it was. I just didn't want to admit it.

I picked up the phone, pressing it to my ear, I took a deep breath, preparing myself for the worst.

"Hello?" I said.

"Darry? It's Pony, I just robbed that store a few blocks from the lot, meet me there will you?"

"Yeah, sure." I replied, feeling seat dripping down my neck.

I ran into the living room.

"Pony robbed a store, we have to hide him!" I yelled to the gang.

I felt a weird sensation of desa vu flowing through me, but I pushed it out of my mind as I flew through the door.

I could hear the sirens, and then I saw him, running across the lot, but the cops were faster. They surrounded him, stopping him under a streetlight.

Pony looked straight at us.

"See you in Hell Guys!" He yelled, before pulling out a heater, and yelling a phrase that was still too fresh in all of our minds. Even after four years.

"You'll never catch me alive!" Pony yelled towards the cops, pulling a small object out of his leather jacket. He pointed it at them, and we all knew it was a heater, and it probably wasn't loaded.

All oto quickly the cops unloaded their guns at Ponboy, my youngest brother, my most independent brother. My toe-headed brother, who started out so innocent, then turned into everything that my parents would have hated. But he was still my brother, and it hurt like hell watching his body jerk around, most likely from the force of the bullets, and then crumple under that streetlight.

We ran forward, all trying to get to him the fastest, and surprisingly Steve go there first. He hit his knees right next to Pony's body. I could see the blood pooling out around him, and Steve was probably already covered in it. But I doubt that he cared. We all gathered around him, and two of the cops that shot him walked over, trying to get us to clear away. But none of us would budge.

"You monsters! His gun probably wasn't even loaded, and you shot anyway! You've done this twice now! TWICE! You've made the same mistake TWICE! How dare you! Do you enjoy ripping my only family away from me?! Is that it? Do you hate us Greasers that much? That you would shoot us down under street lights?!" I heard someone yell. Looking over I saw it was Steve, tears running down his face, anger in his brown eyes. He looked scary. He rose to his feet, something in his hand. Pony's class ring, taken from Dally's body four years back, along with Pony's necklace that he used to light his cigarettes, also previously owned by Dally.

I watched him walk away, back towards our house. I looked back at the remainder of our gang. 7 original members, now down to four. Four of Seven. Two shot down by cops. Two gone out the same way as the other. In that moment I began to wonder if Steve was right, were the cops just tired of us? Were they purposely taking us out? They didn't care about us, and they probably never will. I shook my head, knowing that as the oldest, and as the brother of the de- brother of Pony, I would have to talk to the cops. I walked over, preparing for a conversation that was no doubt going to throw me into a rage. I looked back quickly, and saw that Soda and Two were retreating back to the house, following Steve. I also noticed that many of the previously dark houses were filled with light, and people were standing in their yards, watching the drama. I sighed and walked toward the cop.

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The obituary that came out was short, using one of the pictures that made Pony look the most like Dally. There wasn't much good to say about him, except for when they saved those kids in the church fire. They didn't mention his jail record in the obituary, but in a different article they talked about two boys with reputations for getting in trouble. They never mentioned names. But we all knew.

The funeral was shorter, his casket lowered into the ground, next to the man who could be considered his twin.

We haven't seen Steve since the funeral. And he was a wreck then. He won't last on his own. And I know I will never see him alive again. Its just a matter of time before we lower him into the ground, next to Pony, and Dallas, and Johnny.

And so 4 will go down to 3. What happened to our strong group? The ones who seemed the most put together. Where did we go?

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Alright theres the story

I wouldn't say it was all that great. But that's my opinion.

Leave a comment telling me what you like/dislike. Please?!


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